


Dan gets a Dog

by arewedancers



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Dog - Freeform, M/M, Post Break Up, Pugs, but they get back together, dan gets a dog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 02:29:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5850385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arewedancers/pseuds/arewedancers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It happens in this order: they break up,  Phil moves out, and Dan gets a dog.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to write 1. Longer stories and 2. Happier stories

It happened in this order: they broke up, then Phil moved out, and finally, Dan got a dog. He got a dog for more that just the obvious, (he really fucking wanted one), but also because he could hardly spend one day in their newly empty place before he realized how much noise Phil actually did make. The rooms seemed to turn into something comparable to a graveyard without Phil’s footsteps, giggles, or random musings/humming’s. Sounds that drove Dan crazy when they were together, but in the end were a large part of what made the flat feel more like home.  
So he got a dog. He set out with not even a slight idea in mind of what he wanted, and honestly no clue if he was actually ready to take care of a dog. He figured he had remembered to feed Phil enough times when they were together, and Phil happened to forget, that he could incorporate that into feeding a dog. It probably wasn’t healthy to imagine his new dog to be comparable to Phil mere months after they had decided to part ways, but he figured if he didn’t think about it too much it couldn’t go terribly wrong. He just wouldn’t let anyone know and he would name it something that was as far from Phil as a name could get and it would all work out in the end.  
He ended up at a shelter near by. The bell above the door rang merrily when he opened it, and the sound set of a barrage of meows, barks, and squawks. So much so, he considered covering his ears. It wasn’t long before a voice was added to the mix.  
“HUSH! PLEASE! JUST! SHUT! UP!” A male voice called desperately into the void of sound. It was coming from a backroom somewhere, and was completely and utterly ignored by all of the animals. In fact, in some cases, it just seemed to rile certain animals up more. A guy about Dan’s age pushed through a door, hair a mess, eyes wild, and breath coming in gasps. “Sorry.” He puffed. “Was working back there…” He gestured vaguely behind him before straightening up and holding out a hand. “I’m Sam. How can I help you?”  
Dan took his hand gingerly, shaking it once or twice, before muttering, “Yeah, I’m looking for a dog…”  
“We do have those, in case you couldn’t hear.” Sam laughed. “Have anything in particular in mind?” He had green eyes and a friendly smile and seemed eager to help. Dan felt difficult and like he was wasting his time. “No. Not really.” He grimaced. “Sorry.”  
“Ah, no worries. Here, let’s go have a look.” Sam beckoned Dan towards a door to the left, which seemingly led into the kennels. While they walked he began to ask Dan questions. “What is your living situation like?”  
“I live in a flat in London, it’s not terribly small, but it’s not huge either.” He shrugged, hoping that was enough information for this character to go on.  
“So a nice medium sized dog than? Unless you have a preference for small ones?”  
“Define small? I like pugs. My friends have a few. They seem nice.”  
“Pugs are great, and we may have one that just got dropped off yesterday!” Sam nodded enthusiastically as he beelined for a cage near the back. “Here she is!”  
The pug in question sat in the middle of her cage, but hurried forward when she saw the two of them approach. She had a tag on her door that said “Delilah” and Dan thought that suited her quite nicely. She had dark fur that darkened near her nose and mouth and made her tongue look startlingly pink. He poked a finger through the links of the change, and she sniffed it curiously for a second before beginning to lap at it eagerly with her tongue. Dan chuckled, poking another finger in and laughing outright and she began vigorously licking that one as well.  
“What do you think?” Sam asked, squatting down next to him.  
“I like her! How much exercise do they need? I work from home, sort of, so taking her out won’t be a problem.”  
Sam began chatting eagerly with him about basic care. Exercise, feeding, toys. He warned against feeding her too much, since pugs have a tendency to be obese. Dan listened raptly, and at some point was even able to remove Delilah from her cage and hold her. She snuggled deep into his chest and was sleeping soundly within minutes. Dan awed a little as she snored and drooled, making a mental note to remember that when she slept with him in his bed. He felt foolish only looking at one dog before making a choice, but Sam reassured him that was something that happened with a lot of people.  
“You two will make a good match!” He enthused as Dan made the final decision. “Now let’s go adopt her!” The traipsed back out into the main room, Dan holding Delilah to his chest, and Sam scuttled behind the counter. He pulled out paper after paper, having Dan sign and sign and sign. Finally, with one last flourish, it was done, and Delilah was his. Sam put together a baggy of some doggy basics including a sample of food and a paper of reliable vets. As Dan left, he smiled, and Delilah snuffled in her sleep. He knew already that this would be a good thing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story was to long to make one chapter tbh

Two months later, and Dan felt like a single mother with a family of twelve. He never knew one little dog could be such a monstrosity, and yet, Delilah was just that.  
“YOU WERE SO SWEET AT THE ADOPTION CENTER! WHAT HAPPENED?!” He cried as he chased her around the apartment.  
He had noticed early on that Delilah was fond of going into what used to be Phil’s old room. He, unsuccessfully, tried deterring her by closing the door; however, this just led to her sitting outside for hours on end moaning until he opened it. He couldn’t possibly fathom what fascinated her about the place. There wasn’t much in there, just some things Phil had left behind. Things that included a hoodie that Dan may or may not still smell occasionally when he’s feeling particularly lonely, and now the devil had that very hoodie in her toothy little grasp, and Dan had a BBC meeting in an hour.  
Maybe it was pathetic, he thought, him chasing a dog for a hoodie that belonged to the guy who all but left him. Maybe he should just let her have it. It wouldn’t be long before she gnawed it to pieces. Maybe, he thought, but even considering it made his stomach turn and his palms sweat, and so he continued to chase.  
He remembered woefully when she slept soundly in his arms, so peaceful. “No wonder your mum dropped you off, you’re a demon!” Delilah paused to give him a look, as if to say “low blow”, and he took the moment to dive forward and grab ahold of her and the elusive hoodie. She yelped, her tiny paws desperately moving as she tried to run. He scooped her up into his arms and allowed himself a moment of victory.  
However, now that he had her, the war to retrieve the hoodie had officially begun. Gripping one sleeve tightly in his hand, while simultaneously cringing at the idea of playing tug a war with one of his favorite articles of clothing; he began to lightly pull on the sweater. A part of him hoped she would surrender, knowing somewhere deep her little doggy mind that she wouldn’t be able to win. She growled loudly and insistently at the first tug, and Dan knew he was in for a long and perilous game if he didn’t figure this out. Bending down gently, trying his best not to drop her, he scooped up one of her favorite toys. It was pink, it was loud, and it used to be in the shape of a lion before she tore it to pieces. He waggled it enticingly in front of her squished face. “Come on Delilah!” He cooed. “Take the toy.” He squeaked it a few times as she stared longingly after it. Her jaw began to slacken and – “AH HA!” He dragged the hoodie from her mouth. “Got it!” It was dripping salvia and he cringed as he was faced with a new dilemma. He didn’t want to wash the hoodie. He kept it mainly for the scent of Phil (pathetic) and to wash it would lose that. Of course, maybe it was time to move on. Dog saliva wasn’t exactly appealing and the thought of putting his face near it was even less so. He glanced at the time; he would have to make this decision later, before grabbing his jacket and rushing out of the door to the meeting.  
When Phil had left they had made arrangements with BBC to do different shows. They knew it was immature, but working together just didn’t seem like a good idea at the time. BBC had been understanding and worked with them on finding new shows, new time slots, and new partners. The chemistry wasn’t the same, and the viewings went down, but that was to be expected.  
The meeting was to figure out some new sketches for Dan’s show. It went quickly and Dan walked back to his flat in pleasantly warm weather. On the way back he passed a dog park and thought, what the hell, Delilah could use some exercise. He jogged up the steps, calling for her while searching through some piles of papers to find her leash. She came bounding out of Phil’s room and he sighed. What was so fascinating about it?  
“You wanna go for a walk?” He asked and she immediately began bouncing around excitedly. Whether it was just his happy tone, or maybe she understood him, he took the answer as a yes. Clipping the leash onto her collar he was practically dragged out of the door and into the street. Taking extra care to keep her from barreling into the street, or into another person, he followed along as she seemingly found her own way to the park. The park was fenced in, the grass was green, and it even had a hill of sorts. It was packed full, understandably. London got very few nice days. As they passed through the gate and into the park Delilah practically vibrated from the excitement. She pulled at the leash to the point it seemed almost painful, and feeling badly for her Dan, being the fool he was, decided to take the leash off. It wasn’t even a second after he had that she was noise down and running, finding a scent and sticking to it.  
“FUCK!” Dan yelled, earning a few glares and puzzled glances from passerby. One woman even scolded him, making an offhand comment of leaving dogs on leashes until they’re ready. She had a poodle that was diligently trotting by her side, and Dan barely had time to glare before he realized he almost couldn’t see Delilah anymore.  
He ran, faster than he thought he could, yelling her name and barreling down anyone who got in the way. He supposed he should feel bad, but he really didn’t feel like losing his dog today. The adoption fee had been steep, not to mention the cost of food, and he was a little fond of her. He kept her just in sight, watching as she seemingly followed the same scent. For the second time that day he wondered what fascinated her so much. He should have put two and two together, and he did, when he realized that the scent she was following was that of a person. A person he knew well. A scent he knew well.  
“Dan?” A very confused Phil stood, looking down at the small ball of energy yapping happily at him, before looing up at the tall ball of awkward standing in front of him. “Why are you here? Is this your dog? Why is she barking at me?” All the questions came out in a rush as Dan felt a blush settle into his cheeks. Shit.  
“Uhhhh yeah. That’s…Delilah. Um. I guess…she uh…well she likes to go into your room, you see…and today she had one of your hoodies and I-“  
“You still have one of my hoodies?” Phil smirked. Dan sniffed.  
“You left it behind! Anyway, I guess she just picked up your scent from smelling it so much at home, but that’s beside the point, what are you doing here?” He demanded.  
Phil, quite suddenly, burst out laughing. Dan didn’t know what he found so funny and started to frown. “I got a dog too!” He explained. “A pug, ironically. His name is Samson. I didn’t like being alone, and I thought having a dog might help.”  
“You’re kidding? I did the same thing! We are the same freaking person, I swear!”  
They both laughed, at the irony of the situation, at the awkwardness, and at how convenient life could be. They both realized, standing in front of one another, that a dog just hadn’t been the same. In fact, nothing could be the same. Not a dog, not another person, nothing could compare to having each other.  
“I’ve missed you.” Phil pondered, never breaking eye contact. Phil, who had never been afraid to be the one to say I miss you, I love you, I’m scared. Their pups had gone off to play together, nearly forgotten.  
“I’ve missed you too.” Dan responded, always a little more hesitant, always wanting to be brave. “Do you want to go grab a coffee? Or something? It doesn’t have to be coffee. It could be tea. Or maybe not even a drink. You don’t even have to go.”  
“Yes, Dan. Let’s go grab a coffee.” Phil smiled. Dan felt ok.  
A month later they sat on the couch together, back in the old flat, which finally felt like home again. Samson and Delilah slept peacefully in dog beds placed side by side. Dan and Phil were squished together, as close as possible, even though they had plenty of room on the couch to spread out. Everything felt a little more in place. They felt like a family. Phil had even approached the question of marriage once or twice. They thought maybe it was too soon, considering they had just technically re-gotten together. However, it was agreed that the few months they had been apart hardly counted, because for not even a second had they stopped thinking about the other. Dan had started looking at rings.  
Oh, and Delilah had stopped going in Phil’s room. Funnily enough, she seemed to have lost interest in it. Maybe it was because now she had the real thing.


End file.
